This invention relates generally to refuse containers and more particularly to an improved refuse container cover mount and method of retrofitting refuse containers.
As is well known, conventional commercial or industrial refuse containers generally comprise relatively large open-topped bins formed of sheet metal which are adapted to cooperate with fork lift mechanisms to facilitate rapid refuse collection. Typically, a rectangular lid or cover is pivotally connected to the top of said refuse container by plural "ear brackets" which extend upwardly and rearwardly from the back of said refuse container. A plurality of barrel hinges are disposed along the rear edge of the rectangular cover and a connecting rod is inserted through the barrel hinges and ear brackets to pivotally connect the cover to the refuse container. A cotter pin or similar retention means is typically utilized to prevent the disengagement of the connecting rod from the ear brackets and cover.
The earliest prior art commercial refuse container tops were formed of sheet metal or wood, wherein the barrel hinges were disposed along the rear edge of the cover. These metal covers may still be used in applications requiring extra cover penetration protection, such as on construction sites. However, with the present advances of plastic technology, new roto molded or vacuum formed plastic covers have been introduced in the market place. The advantages of using plastic covers include: (1) the ability to ensure a snug fit and thus seal refuse and its odor inside the refuse container, (2) increased safety resulting from their lighter weight, and (3) quieter use since the cover is lighter and able to be more easily opened and closed. These plastic refuse container covers are typically constructed to having a double-walled framework with structural ribs, and thus have a much greater vertical thickness than the conventional sheet metal covers. As a result of this extra thickness, the pivot axis of the plastic lid cover barrel hinges in relation to that of the mounting ear brackets or lugs is displaced upwardly and rearwardly to that of sheet metal cover barrel hinges. Because of this displacement in the positioning of the barrel hinge axis, a plastic cover, when substituted for a sheet metal cover, cannot seat properly and therefore cannot close. As a result, if conversion is desired between metal and plastic covers, the prior art has generally required that the cover mounting ear brackets be manually ground off and removed and new ear brackets or cover mounts welded or otherwise fixedly attached to the container. As a result, there is a need for an improved refuse container cover mount which can be used with both plastic and metal lids so that the cover mount or ear brackets, once mounted upon the refuse container can accommodate either the metal or plastic covers without requiring further removal and retachment of appropriately dimensioned mounting brackets.